The dog days of summer may be just around the corner, but there's no sign that things are slowing on Capitol Hill or around the country. In Congress: a youth summit was held this week, the federal budget (which has big impact on programs for families and kids) keeps moving, and the federal minimum wage increase may get another chance. Voices for America's Children has a round-up of state legislative priorities. The latest "Nation's Report Card" looks at mixed results in students' grasp of history and civics, and organizations across the country are focusing on improving graduation rates.
Also this week: a coalition of organizations offers recommendations to improve the child welfare system, and there's yet more good news about quality child care -- this time, it's been shown to reduce the risk of later depression among children growing up poor. On the lighter side, there is scientific evidence to support playtime.
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Reconnecting Youth
New Tool: "Graduation for All" Newsletter The Intercultural Development Research Association has launched a monthly e-newsletter with information on national and local efforts to improve schools and graduation, and toolkits for action in schools and communities. In English and Spanish. You can subscribe online.
For more on helping youth get ready for adulthood, don't miss the Forum for Youth Investment's Ready by 21 initiative.
YouthScape: Tools for Youth Leaders Earlier this month, the Weekly covered the National League of Cities (NLC) youth delegates discussions in the recent Congressional City Conference. NLC has created a new Website to house the highlights of the conference and to offer tools, news, and blogs for youth city leaders. The name "YouthScape" was created by one of the youth delegates and selected by all in a vote.
Helping African-American Boys Succeed (Transcript) Black male students face lower rates of high school graduation and higher likelihood of special education than their white male peers, and generally do poorer in school than black girls. But they have made gains around the country. On May 17, Education Week hosted a discussion of what works and what more needs to be done to help narrow gaps for African-American boys. The full transcript is online. (Free registration required.)
Should Kids Serve Time for Skipping School? Do detention, suspension, or -- as some counties are trying -- jail time work to curb truancy? What about home visits from guidance counselors to literally wake kids up? This May 9 Seattle Times article looks at some approaches and their (intended and unintended) impacts, and also at a promising strategy in California, Florida, Rhode Island, and Maryland that delays driver's license eligibility for students who skip school.
Kids and Politics
Promises to America's Children: 2007 Governors' State of the State Addresses What are your state's top priorities when it comes to health care, education, work supports, child welfare and other areas that matter to families, and communities? Find out in Voices' new report, which examines governors' 2007 State of the State speeches and budget addresses.
Families and the Federal Budget Last week, the U.S. House and Senate finalized a "conference agreement" of the fiscal year 2008 federal budget, which sets funding guidelines for many important domestic programs. This year, the state Children's Health Insurance Program is one of the moving targets that many advocates have a close eye on. The conference agreement provides $50 billion in new funds for SCHIP, but does not indicate where the funds will come from.
In related news, Kaiser has a new "issue module" with easy-to-read yet comprehensive background on children's health care coverage and this year's SCHIP reauthorization.
Raising the Minimum Wage? The first increase to the federal minimum wage in a decade may be just around the corner. As we reported earlier this month, a bill to raise the federal minimum from $5.15 to $7.25 by 2009 was attached to the Iraq war supplemental funding bill that President Bush vetoed. Forbes reports that Congress may have a new funding bill -- with the minimum wage increase still attached -- to the president by the end of the week. The Let Justice Roll Campaign has been pushing Congress to remove the increase and vote on it by itself.
Tax Credits for Families The Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities (ECAP) asks concerned adults to contact Congress about improving the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. ECAP reports that although they are essential to millions of families, these credits don't go far enough in their current form.
National Summit on Children (May 22) Yesterday, a bipartisan summit was held on Capitol Hill to give experts a chance to tell members of Congress about recent scientific findings and policy implications in the areas of early childhood development, education, family economic stability, and children's health and mental health.
The office of Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) has issued a press release with more info.
Foster Care News
Coalition to Congress: Act Now to Improve Child Welfare At a May 15 House Ways & Means Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee hearing, a coalition of organizations called on Congress to renew its commitment to protect children. The partnership urges Congress to amend the federal Title IV-E statute without turning it into a block grant and use it to improve program effectiveness and accountability. It also recommends changes to ensure access to a range of services and supports. Testimony from the hearing is available online.
The full recommendations to Congress are posted on the Voices for America's Children site.
Children's Bureau Express The May issue of Children's Bureau Express -- a publication for those in the fields of child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption -- is now online. It includes "Helping Agencies Cope With Disasters: A Framework for Child Welfare Agencies," a special Foster Care Month section, and much more.
Raising the Children and Managing Everyone Else: A Free E-Conversation for Grandfamilies (May 29 and 30) The University of Maine Center on Aging is hosting this free seminar for grandfamily caregivers from around the country, held throughout the day as part of the Rural Relatives as Parents program. In addition, on June 26 and 27, the Center will host a free seminar for professionals working with relative caregivers: "Developing and Sustaining Support Groups for Grandfamilies." You can register online for both. Contact Melissa Adle at melissa.adle@umit.maine.edu for more information.
Education Update
Educating Newcomers: Helping Immigrants Succeed in School As the immigration debate heats up in Congress, the latest issue of Voices in Urban Education, from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, looks at what various proposals might mean for the 8 million U.S. students who are immigrants or children of immigrants. The articles examine issues ranging from English language acquisition, high-stakes testing, and funding to building on students' assets and working with children from war-torn areas.
What Do Kids Know About Civics and History? NAEP Results Are In For the first time since 1998, the 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reviewed civics awareness in schools. The results? Fourth graders saw a slight increase in average civics scores, while students in grades 8 and 12 saw no differences in scores. Among twelfth graders, who are soon to be of voting age, 66 percent scored at or above "Basic" knowledge but only 27 percent were at or above "Proficient" understanding. The sample questions are online.
History scores are up slightly in all three grades, according to the NAEP test.
What's Next For Public Education? In the cover story of this month's NEA Today, the National Education Association (NEA) celebrates its 150th anniversary by asking 22 teachers, policymakers, researchers, and other experts to share their insights on where American education is headed. Find out what Margaret Spellings, Daily Kos blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, Wynton Marsalis, Jonathan Kozol, and others have to say.
What's Being Said About NCLB? With Congress scheduled to renew the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the American School Board Journal examines what the major players are saying about NCLB. Writer Susan Black reviews ideas and reactions from Congress and teachers' unions, as well as students, parents, and community members. Among the top critiques from this latter group: test-based accountability narrows curriculum and learning; tests for students with disabilities and English-language learners are unfair; and funding is inadequate.
Childcare and Early Learning
Quality Child Care for Poor Children Can Reduce Risk of Adult Depression Young adults from low-income families who were in full-time quality child care from infancy to age 5 report fewer symptoms of depression than their peers who were not in this type of care. That's according to a recent study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of Washington at Seattle, published in the May-June 2007 issue of the journal Child Development. Data come from the Abecedarian Project, which tracked 111 children from early childhood into adulthood.
State Early Childhood Policies: Improving the Odds This new report from the National Center for Children in Poverty offers detailed information on state policies in the areas of child development and school readiness, quality child care, and parenting supports -- and finds that most low-income children don't get the support they need. Check out the accompanying state profiles to see how your state is doing.
Why Child Care Matters to Working Families: Text from a Briefing for House Staff Former welfare recipients with young children are 82 percent more likely to be employed after two years if they receive child care assistance, according to the National Women's Law Center (NWLC). NWLC is calling on the feds to increase funds for child care -- as you can see in this recent statement by NWLC's Helen Blank.
NWLC also has a quick fact sheet on child care and working families.
Get Out and Play
Weekend Schoolyard Accessibility, Physical Activity, and Obesity: The Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Study Summer's almost here. Does your community have a place for kids to let loose? A recent study conducted by RAND (a non-partisan research organization), found that school playgrounds and athletic facilities can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity, but many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends and holidays -- especially in poor and minority neighborhoods. The study appeared in the May issue of Preventive Medicine. The summary and conclusions are on the RAND site.
RAND's news release includes more details on the study.
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